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Gorleston-on-Sea. Town in Norfolk - UK

GORLESTON-ON-SEA - NORFOLKS BEST KEPT SECRET

Gorleston-on-Sea lies between Lowestoft and Gt Yarmouth on the east coast in Norfolk and features its own bay and riverside, with a sandy beach stretching into the distance below glorious cliff gardens and a grand promenade.

The safe bathing beach is a firm favourite with local people and is where you can also wind surf and enjoy the water in many other ways.

Visitors enjoy not only this excellent Blue Flag beach, but also a paddling pool, yacht pond, below the promenade and green cliffs, beautiful lawns, bowling greens, tennis courts and a trim-trail on the cliff top. Take a gentle stroll or jog along like many others do and take in the views of the beach, harbour mouth, pier and wind turbines beyond.

Behind the prom lies a range of large homes, hotels, guesthouses and self-catering holiday flats. Many beachside cafes and shops offer a wide selection of goods from multicoloured buckets and spades to trendy sunshades and beach wear. Gorleston has its own Pavilion Theatre, with seaside shows, and the Ocean Room, a dining/dance venue, plus a bingo hall, pitch and putt golf course, an amusement park, several restaurants and many pubs. Two large hotels in prime seaside sites cater for business and private functions, and add striking shapes to the skyline

As a holiday destination Gorleston is an excellent touring base for the many beauty spots of Norfolk and Suffolk including the Norfolk Broads. Less than 10 miles away is Somerleyton Hall and Maze, Fritton Lake and Pleasurewood Hills, a must for the kids.

In days gone by hundreds of fishing boats from the herring fleet would sail from the harbour, watched by locals sheltering from the breeze in the cozies on the pier. The famous Short Blue Fleet of Hewett & Co., once the largest in the world, came to an end in 1904. The red brick lighthouse nowadays guides mainly gas rig supply vessels in and out, round the tight bend into the Yare.

The river is also one of two entrances to the Norfolk Broads for visitors from the coast, and in the summer one can often see adventurous yachtsmen heading for Holland or Lowestoft or Southwold. For those who live here, the real Gorleston is the town centre, the residential streets, roads and parks, schools and colleges, industrial parks and offices. Here residents live, shop, work and relax, as they have done since 1835 numbering 2000 residents.

Newcomers started to arrive in increasingly larger numbers around 1841 due to the growth of the fishing industry, the infant tourist industry plus the general movement from small agricultural villages to centres of employment. In 1903 the railway began to bring in holidaymakers consequently many boarding houses sprang up to accommodate them and more and more new facilities were provided for their enjoyment.

Today, many specialist stores survive in the High Street and Bells Road jostling with the library, medical centre, banks and estate agents, and food stores, chain stores, and much more. On the perimeter of town numerous industrial zones provide further employment and a wealth of places giving a wide choice to heighten ones enjoyment of the shopping experience.

The James Paget Hospital, serving the coastal region is on the south side of town on A12. Nearby, is a new Beacon Park housing development named after the enormous British Gas beacon structure sited there, which was built for Londons millennium celebrations.

The Chamber of Commerce is one of many small business inhabitants of the new Innovation Centre on the site.

Gorleston FC grounds are found close by at Emerald Park, also the scene for many footy tournaments for kids of all ages!

Our riverside also hosts the life boat, harbour pilots, and was once the base in WW2 for the important RAF Air Sea Rescue operation, who recently celebrated their 60th anniversary with a new memorial on Brush Bend. The opening ceremony was attended by the current Air Marshall, chief of RAF.

GOSH. Those interested in the heritage of Gorleston should look out for monthly meetings of GOSH, the Gorleston-on-Sea Heritage Group, a friendly group of local history enthusiasts who meet regularly at the Keville Arms on Church Road. Alternatively, look at their detailed website containing loads of fascinating pictures and stories on www.gorleston-heritage.co.uk

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